Robotic sleeve lobectomy with four arms for lung cancer centrally located in the right lower lobe: a case report

Sleeve lobectomy can preserve healthy lung parenchyma in centrally located lung cancer surgery. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been shown to have better results for postoperative complications than thoracotomy lobectomy. However, its limitations in visualization of operative field and handling of instruments restrain surgeons performing sleeve lobectomy. Robotic surgery has several advantages, including magnified 3-dimensional vision and angulation of the robot arm that can provide better circumstances for sleeve lobectomy than VATS. However, robotic sleeve lobectomy has been rarely reported. Here, we describe our experience of performing robotic sleeve lobectomy using four arms for lung cancer centrally located in the right lower lobe.